The Start of Something
by WalkingAroundWaitingDowntown
Summary: The progression of Joey and Pacey's relaionship from enemies to friends to something much more, like you have never seen it before.
1. Moment

The Start of Something

The Start of Something

Chapter One -- Moment

She was flying, soaring through the air as if she had suddenly learned how, suspended in mid air she felt weightless. This magical feeling however was soon replaced by panic and the looming feeling of impending doom. Joey did not have long to dwell on it however as she came into contact with the wooden floor of her bedroom, her arms in front of her to reduce the impact of her fall. A loud thud and the sting of skin and bones crashing into the floor – this was not how she wanted to start her morning.

"Graceful" A voice came from the door

"Ooww" The only words, or rather sounds that Joey could come up with,

"Eloquent too, I must say I am impressed, but humor me Jo, how is it that I find you in this most interesting position?" The voice probed

"In a rush – pile of clothes—tripped—clumsy…" Joey said flustered searching the room for the source of the voice, grimacing in pain she made an attempt to get up. Within seconds she felt a pair of strong arms around her waist

"Pacey" A statement, not a question, Joey's eyes met his, she was now standing, still wrapped in his arms.

"Its alright Jo, I got you" He reassured her. A part of Joey wanted to break away from his hold, to shut him out as she had usually done, but another, completely new part of her seemed locked in place, perfectly content with where she was. They seemed to be trapped in the moment, unable to break eye contact, ensnared in a reverie they both shared for what could have been eternity. They were the only people in the world at that point, nothing seemed to matter, not the fact that the pair of teenagers could not normally stand one another, not the fact that they were now late for the first day of school and certainly not the fact that Joey had not yet put on a shirt. This warp in reality came to an end with a sound that could only be described as a mix of a gasp and a shriek.

"Sh..Shirt, I need a shirt" Still slightly disoriented, but now embarrassed, Joey looked down to see that she was in nothing but a pair of jeans and a light pink bra. Pacey's eyes flickered briefly to her chest, and back to her eyes, and then once again they made the return, as if on their own, south of Joey's face.

"Pacey!" That did it, he instantly let go, whirring around, his back to his half naked nemesis.

"uuhh, sorry Jo, I…um…you fell"

"Yes, I am aware of that, I am also aware of the fact that I am topless and the fact that YOU are standing in my room, ever hear of knocking?" Her tone was both embarrassed and angry, but not quite hysterical.

"I heard a crash, I thought you were hurt…I just…" Pacey tried to redeem himself, disoriented from the sight of Joey's chest. "I saw you on the floor, nothing else seemed to matter, that I didn't knock or that you were…you know…and don't worry, I didn't see _that_ much" Joey quickly put on the first top she could reach for, "_so much for looking good on the first day of school"_ she thought.

Joey ran out for the door, Pacey right behind her, still recovering from the situation he just partook in. His mind wandered to images of a scantily clad Joey Potter, images forever imprinted in conscious. Questions raced through his mind, he wandered why Joey's clothes were in a pile in the first place…

"I came to give you a ride Jo, you know to school" Pacey tried his best to regain some control over the situation.

"Thank you, but I think that I'll walk today" Joey replied in a scathing tone.

"Are you sure? You're going to be late"

"Quite sure" She was already walking, as fast as she could, avoiding facing him.

"Alright, well, try not to put yourself into any more danger, alright?" She could hear Pacey's voice behind her but tried her best to keep walking, hoping to regain composure in time for her first class, which she was already late for. Of all the guys she thought would be the first to see her bra, she could not believe it was Pacey.


	2. A Change of Pace

Chapter 2: A Change of Pace

Chapter 2: A Change of Pace

The first day was a blur, of teachers, classmates, chalk on the board and paper on desks. Students poured in and out of classrooms and through the halls, where Joey was currently trapped, she hated hallway traffic. Stuck between a cheerleader checking her makeup in her compact and a freshman with a pile of textbooks up to his nose, Joey just wanted to get outside, to end this horrid day. Instead, it only got worse as she bumped right into Pacey.

"Sorry Potter" He mumbled, trying to get out of the way of the wave of students, every one seeming to move in opposite directions.

"Oh, sorry for what, getting in my way, or getting an eyeful this morning?" Joey tried her best to sound angry, but somehow found it difficult…

"Jeez, Jo, it was an honest mistake, do you think I _wanted_ that to happen?" Pacey looked deep into her eyes, apologetic and hurt. " I could never do something like that on purpose" he continued.

" I guess, but please knock next time" She gave in.

"I'm forgiven?" Joey simply nodded, a smile creeping across her lips. "…so…next time huh?"

"Well yea, I mean who else will give me rides to school" As Joey responded, she noticed that the halls were now empty, they were the only ones left as the others hurried home, as far away from their favorite educational institution as possible. They were surrounded not by teenagers eager to get out of class, but by the peaceful serenity of the now empty building, and the lone janitor sweeping the floors.

" So Potter" Pacey sighed, "do you want to get out of here of what?"

"You offering a ride?"

"Sure, since that seems to be the only way into you heart" Pacey quipped.

" Sure Pace, seems harmless enough" Joey answered as they walked toward the main exit and toward the parking lot. Pacey's backpack was casually slung over his shoulder, while Joey clutched some books close to her chest, she couldn't be too careful…

" So Jo, how was your first day of school?"

"The usual opening to a seemingly endless routine" Joey said with a deep sigh.

"Since when does Josephine Potter show dislike towards school?" Pacey raised his eyebrows in shock.

"I don't know, it just seems that lately I'm not really learning, but merely jumping through hoops, I guess that I'm just frustrated." Joey herself was surprised at her honesty.

"Frustrated how?" Pacey replied, all the while appreciating her truthfulness.

"All I do is go to class, come home, do my homework and help out Bessie, oh and there is of course the occasional movie at Dawson's"

"Well if you really want a change of pace…hey, where is Mr. Leery anyway?" Pacey was shocked to see the pair apart.

"Oh, I don't know actually, he ran off to shoot….something…" Her lack of interest in Dawson at the moment was surprisingly refreshing to both of them.

"Hmm, well, it's just you and me then." Pacey said as he climbed into the driver's seat, while Joey landed on the other side with a bounce, tossing her books in the back seat and checking her hair in the mirror.

"Since when do you care about what you look like" Pacey chuckled.

"Since this is the first day of school, I wanted to make a good impression."

"Jo, everyone left, there's no one to make an impression on, except for me of course" Pacey was now evidently grinning.

"Get over yourself!" Joey blushed.

"Its okay, in fact, it is about time you started caring, I mean not that you didn't look bad before, its nice …not that the old you wasn't nice…you're very….nice, not that I care or anything"

"Just stop speaking before I loose all respect for you alright?" Joey was getting even redder.

"So," Pacey tried to change the subject, "what is it that you want to do differently this year?"

"I'll let you know when I figure it out…" Joey wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to change, "I just know that I'm not happy, no boyfriend, no fun, no life…"

"Potter, if you think that drunken, pointless partying is a life, you are severely mistaken" His tone was serious, concerned.

"You do it though" Joey quipped.

"That's because I have nothing better to do with my time, and since when do you want a boyfriend?"

Joey couldn't form an answer, instead she stared, she looked into his eyes, desperately trying to wordlessly communicate her need for a companion, someone she could trust and love to the one person she knew could never understand.

"You're right, why would I want someone, clearly that's not something smart girls like me could ever bother with" She didn't expect him to understand, why would he? She noticed that he had pulled up to her house, it was about time.

"Jo, I –"

"Look, don't worry about it, it really doesn't matter, but Pace?"

"Yes" It always made him happy when she asked him something, anything, he just enjoyed the fact that she cared, if only a little.

"Did you think – this morning—I mean, did you…" Joey tried to formulate some words while looking down at her lap, "I mean you were the first to, did you think I was…"

"Beautiful" He simply stated. No jokes, no further comment.

She just nodded, turned around to open the door and left. She looked back at him one more time before opening the door to her house, he returned her gaze, in awe of the vulnerability she had just shown him. With that, Joey disappeared into the house.


End file.
